North Texas SC announced its full 2023 MLS NEXT Pro regular season schedule today. North Texas SC opens the 2023 MLS NEXT Pro regular season against LAFC 2 on Sunday, March 26 at 7PM CT at Titan Stadium in Cal State Fullerton. The match will be streamed on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app. This will be the club’s first-ever season opener on the road, and the first time NTSC faces LAFC2.
North Texas SC host Whitecaps FC II in the home opener on April 9 at 7:30PM CT at Choctaw Stadium.
*If you are wondering where Week 15 is…it is a BYE for North Texas SC. 1
Quick notes:
- North Texas SC will play against LA Galaxy II, LAFC2 and Austin FC II for the first time in club history.
- North Texas SC plays Houston Dynamo 2 and Colorado Rapids 2 three times.
- North Texas SC faces Austin FC II on Decision Day, Sunday, September 24 at 4PM CT at Choctaw Stadium.
There is also a new playoff format that is kind of wild.
The 2023 season will feature an expanded playoffs format that includes a pick-your-opponent element in the first two rounds. Within each conference, the two division champions and the five clubs with the next highest points (seven clubs total) will advance to the 2023 MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs. The Playoffs will consist of three rounds, followed by the MLS NEXT Pro Cup, taking place over four consecutive weeks beginning the weekend of September 29.
The club with the most regular season points in each conference (#1 seed) will earn a first round bye, automatically advancing to the Conference Semifinals.
Conference Quarterfinals:
- The next two teams with the most points in each conference (#2 and #3 seeds) will choose their opponent and host their match (one of two teams must be the other division champion)
- The two remaining teams that are not selected will play each other, with the higher seeded team hosting
Conference Semifinals:
- The team with the most overall points in the conference (#1 seed) will choose its opponent from the remaining two lowest seeded teams and host the match
- The second highest seed will host the remaining team
Conference Finals:
- The team with the most regular season points (higher seed) will host the team with the lowest points (lower seed)
MLS NEXT Pro Cup:
The team with the most regular season points (higher seed) will host MLS NEXT Pro Cup
Forgive us for the screenshot approach for the schedule. We’re still learning how to do formatting like this in Substack, and apparently, embedding a Google Sheet isn’t happening. ↩
